I Didn't Know That: Concrete Canvas Building

Watch Richard Ambrose and Jonny Phillips quickly construct a building made of concrete canvas—a material that has all the elements of concrete, but is flexible enough to be turned into any shape. This technology allows people to erect permanent structures in a fraction of the time needed for traditional building techniques.

RICHARD AMBROSE: One of the most interesting and potentially life changing developments is the creation of a concrete canvas. It's basically a material that consists of all the elements of concrete, but it's flexible enough to be turned into any shape.

JONNY PHILLIPS: However, once it's been submerged in water and given time to set, it becomes completely solid. Now the implications of this new technology are far-reaching, because it's going to allow people to erect permanent structures, but in a fraction of the time that it would have done using traditional building techniques.

NARRATOR: The concrete canvas begins life in waterproof plastic sheeting for easy transportation. Inside, the canvas is wrapped around an inflatable lining which will be blown up to create a building 50 square meters in size. But first water must be piped inside the package to start the process of dampening the cloth.

INSTALLATION MAN PTC: It should take about 800 to 1000 liters.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Right Okay.

INSTALLATION MAN PTC: But essentially there's no measuring you just fill the sack entirely with water.

NARRATOR: The concrete cloth is made up of fibers which evenly absorb water until all of the cloth is equally saturated. The inspiration for it came from the plaster casts wrapped around broken bones in hospitals. Once the cloth is completely soaked, the process of hydration gradually begins, and the plastic casing can be removed. At this point, there is a window of around 5 hours for the canvass to be raised into its final position before the concrete starts to set.

INSTALLATION MAN OOV: The next stage is to fit the blower. The blowers on.

NARRATOR: The only other bit of gear you need is something to drag out the cloth so that it's completely unfolded before it's inflated.

JONNY PHILLIPS: I still can't imagine what it's gonna look like though. I can't believe that that little blower is lifting that weight.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Its amazing isn't it.

NARRATOR: The speed with which this technology can be used may now allow huge improvements in how the world reacts to humanitarian crisis. A concrete canvas building has good thermal properties so whatever's inside is kept either cool or warm, and it can even provide a sterile environment for surgery.

RICHARD AMBROSE: I didn't realize there was gonna be doors on it.

JONNY PHILLIPS: Has it got a door?

RICHARD AMBROSE: Yes look at that.

JONNY PHILLIPS: Goodness me you thought of everything didn't you. You can actually get in it.

NARRATOR: And, just a day later, it's ready to walk in and use. It's strong enough to stand on, endure hammer blows and even the heat from a blowtorch.

I Didn't Know That: Concrete Canvas Building

Watch Richard Ambrose and Jonny Phillips quickly construct a building made of concrete canvas—a material that has all the elements of concrete, but is flexible enough to be turned into any shape. This technology allows people to erect permanent structures in a fraction of the time needed for traditional building techniques.